This invention relates to an engine of the reciprocating type, and particularly to an internal combustion engine wherein the pistons and cylinders are arranged in tandem.
At the present time, internal combustion engines employ a plurality of cylinders and pistons to drive the engine. The pistons are connected to a crank shaft by connecting rods. The reciprocating movement of the pistons is transformed to a rotary motion of the crank shaft in a well known manner. After each power stroke of the piston, the crank shaft carries the piston until the next power stroke. The internal combustion engine most widely used today employs a four stroke cycle including a power stroke, exhaust, intake, and compression. During the exhaust, intake and compression interval of the cycle, the piston does not apply a force to the crank shaft, but instead is carried thereby.
The present invention provides a novel construction whereby the pistons and cylinders are arranged in tandem within a plurality of concentric sliding sleeves which are connected to the crank shaft. One or more piston-cylinder pairs is connected to each sliding sleeve in a manner that reduces the interval wherein a piston is being carried by the crank shaft after the power stroke.